Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game (Hardcover)

Description

The best players know that golf is a game of confidence, and most important, concentration-the ability to focus and block out distraction. The goal of achieving clear thought is also at the heart of Buddhist teachings. In his highly original and groundbreaking book, noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor, Dr. Joseph Parent, draws on this natural connection and teaches golfers how to clear their minds, achieve ultimate focus, and play in the moment for each shot.

Zen Golf presents a simple system for building "mental game mastery." Dr Parent's unique PAR Approach (focusing on Preparation, Action, and Response to Results) guides golfers with specific techniques for each aspect of their games. In chapters such as "How to Get From the Practice Tee to the First Tee," "You Produce What You Fear," and "How to Enjoy a Bad Round of Golf," the author shares a personal teaching regimen that has helped improve the games of professionals and amateurs alike. By combining classic insights and stories from Zen tradition, Zen Golf helps eliminate the mental distractions that routinely cause poor shots and loss of concentration, allowing golfers to feel in "the zone" that professionals have learned to master.

Clear, concise, and enlightening, Zen Golf shows golfers how to prepare for, execute, and equally important, respond the results of any golf shot. A different approach to golf instruction, this book shapes ancient philosophies into new teachings.

About the Author

Dr. Joseph Parent is a widely known coach of PGA Tour golfers and corporate business executives. He has a Ph.D. in psychology and has been a teacher of Buddhist meditation and stress management for more than twenty-five years. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, where his company, Mental Game Mastery for Golf, Business, and Life is headquartered.

Praise For…

“The lessons in Zen Golf make the mental game seem so simple. Dr. Parent has given me very effective methods for working with thoughts and emotions, and for taking the negatives out of the picture.” -Vijay Singh, Masters and PGA Champion

“Soothing and enlightening, Zen Golf exposes us to the storm-tossed waters of the golfer's psyche, but in short order, Dr. Parent has us bobbing easily amidst the waves.” -Guy Yocum, Senior Writer for Golf Digest

“There’s no other book like this one. If you want to know what has gotten in the way of playing better and what you can do about it, look no further.”-Mike “Radar” Reid, PGA Tour Winner

“Doc’s unique teaching methods helped me to concentrate and to go from the range to the first tee in a way that gets my round off to a much better start.” -Willie Wood, PGA Tour Winner

“Dr. Parent’s use of golf as a metaphor for business is full of great insights that have helped our staff grow as people and professionals.” -David Hausdorff, Vice President, Merrill Lynch, Private Client Group

“Here is a roadmap to inner confidence, self-awareness and the feel of a purely struck golf shot. This approach to learning and life is a wonderful and powerful expression of the future for golf instruction.” -Fred Shoemaker, author of Extraordinary Golf and co-teacher of Golf in the Kingdom seminars with Michael Murphy